9 Tricks to Outsmart Criminals You Should Memorize Now

Authorities do a lot to prevent crime, but are you doing your part, too? Be one step ahead of the bad guys with these smart theft-prevention strategies.

Crime stoppers

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Police employ plenty of high-tech methods to predict and prevent crime, but you need to do your part, too. That’s especially important now that the FBI has released data showing an almost 4 percent increase in violent crime–murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery–between 2014 and 2015. The good news is that violent crime in 2015 was 0.7 percent less than in 2011 and 16.5 percent lower than in 2006. Still, such statistics are little consolation if you are a crime victim. Try these easy theft-prevention strategies to ensure you stay safe and secure whether you’re in your hometown or visiting another city. You should also learn the common reasons a criminal might target you.

Heed to stranger danger

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Wariness around strangers isn’t just for kids. Take the tips provided by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and modify them for your own use. As you may recall, kids confronted by strangers are told to think, “No, Go, Yell, Tell.” That stands for “say no,” “run away,” “yell as loud as possible,” and “tell a trusted adult.” When you are approached by a stranger, perhaps asking for cash, the best way to handle it is to figuratively say “no” by walking away, said Evelyn Hannon, editor of the travel site journeywoman.com. “The moment you reach for your wallet, you are giving a potential thief a clue about where you keep your cash. I always pretend I don’t understand and I walk on,” she said. “Save your charity for when you are at home and can understand better whether the ‘asker’ is dangerous or not.” These are the secrets burglars won’t tell you.

Nancy Dunham is an award-winning Washington, D.C.-based journalist who specializes in writing about personal finance, automobiles, insurance, and lifestyle topics. Her work appears in People magazine, Automotive News, MoneyTalks News, Fortune, US News & World Report and Mental Floss. She also has written for corporate clients including Nationwide Insurance, Hartford Insurance, Johns Hopkins University, and the National Automobile Dealers Associaton.

Dunham also writes feature stories on musicians, television, pets and travel. That work has appeared in USA Today, Gannett, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone and many other publications.

Before moving to full-time freelance work in 2008, Dunham was a managing editor of several business-to-business and healthcare publications. She was also a daily newspaper report for Gannett Newspapers.